Barcelona and Gaudi

That answer is very personal and no one here can really give you any valid one. Instead, I would invite you to reflect inwards: do you reeeeally like art and architecture? or is -like many of us- something that you like just in small doses?

If the answer is yes to the first question, by all means, don't miss them as each one displays different aspects of Modernist architecture by Gaudí. And please don't forget also Palau de la Música Catalana and Sant Pau Centre Modernista, both by different architects. This will give you a chance to admire other great works by architects different from Gaudí and better understand the whole Modernist movement.

If you answer yes to the second question, I'd probably choose one of the two Gaudí's works (note though there are half a dozen other masterpieces by Gaudí in the city, from Palau Güell to Colònia Güell, Casa Vicens, etc.) and perhaps add a tour at Palau de la Música Catalana instead.

Some teasers:

• PALAU DE LA MÚSICA CATALANA
• SANT PAU CENTRE MODERNISTA
• COLÒNIA GÜELL
• PALAU GÜELL

Note that aside from Modernist architecture/sites in the city, you also have a great variety of other historical sites, from the remains of the Roman city at the MUHBA museum in Plaça del Rei to the magnificent medieval religious buildings of the church of Santa Maria del Mar -in the Old City- or the Monastery of Pedralbes -uptown, in the posh area of Pedralbes- among many other. Both are buildings from the 13th century. This will balance your overdose of Modernism, LOL!

There are of course plenty other sites to visit... these are just a sample.

How much time do you have in the city? As Enric pointed out, there are many other things to do there. If you have 2 or 3 additional days in Barcelona after you've seen the sites you've already booked, you might be safe to wait until then to make a decision.

I spent 10 days in Barcelona last year and went inside all the major modernista sites that could be visited. I also tracked down many others and viewed the exteriors. I didn't get tired of them.

...and not mentioned earlier, but "strolling" is another must-do in Barcelona. Just walking the boulevards in l'Eixample, the narrow streets in the Old City, the bohemian tree-lined squares in Gràcia, the promenade at the beach front, the gardens and parks in Montjuïc, etc... people watching, window shopping, relaxing in terraces here and there for a drink and a snack while seeing life pass by... will immerse you in the ambience of this city. Especially if you come from most US cities, where strolling is not something much en vogue so to speak, here in Europe, especially in Mediterranean cities --where weather is excellent most of the year and sunny days are the norm-- this is indeed a way of life. Skipping this simple activity is completely missing the point about Barcelona.. one might well go to Disneyland instead if attractions are the only things one's after, LOL! :))

We have 3 days. I am planning to do RS Barri Gotic walk with a stop at the Cathedral, the Ramblas Tour walk, the magic Fountains, Palace of Catalan Music and as above the Sagrada and Park Guell. If time Montjuic.

Day 1 was Sagrada and Park Guell in the morning and Casa Mila and Casa Battlo in the afternoon/evening. Leaving 2 days for the rest. How much of a wait is Casa Mila and Casa Battlo if you don't have tickets?

If you had to choose one which one Casa Mila or Casa Battlo?

Casa Batilo if I were to choose. Get up onto the roof if you can (we did, it was part of the tour). Casa Mila is quite nearby and the outside is definitely worth inspecting. The jewel in the crown though is the Sagrada Familia, set aside lots of time for that and be prepared to be dazzled, amazed, stunned, nay gobsmacked!

Have a great trip!

Ian

... so you know: there's no such thing as "Sagrada" -it just means 'sacred' in Catalan, the local language. So much like you probably wouldn't shorten Saint Paul's Cathedral to "Saint", I strongly suggest you don't do that either with names you don't know what they mean or else, if asking something about it to any local, you'll receive a look as if you were speaking in Chinese :)

Something else: many visitors do ask how to correctly pronounce certain names, here an attempt (sorry, not a linguistics professor myself!) to make your life easier -and for you to make it also easier to the locals' ears when you try to pronounce them, LOL!

• CASA BATLLÓ: "ka-sa bat-lee-oh"
• CASA MILÀ: "ka-sa me-lah" also known as "la-pah-dreh-rah"
• SAGRADA FAMÍLIA: "sa-gra-duh fa-me-lee-ah"
• PARK GÜELL: "park goo-ey"

and for a cum laude:

• PALAU DE LA MÚSICA CATALANA: "pah-lah-oo duh lah moo-see-kah ka-tah-lah-na" --this one we do shorten to "Palau de la Música". Palau means palace in Catalan, and we have a few of those around so there's the need to say which one.

Lastly, I would like to focus on one that visitors tend to particularly get all wrong:

• BARCELONA: "bar-sah-loh-nah"

Firstly I would like to point out that there's no twisting your tongue trying to pronounce a Spanish "c".... the local language is not Spanish, but Catalan, and we don't have that sound in our alphabet. Our "Cs" are pronounced EXACTLY the same than in English (like a 's')... and that's how Barcelona has been pronounced for the past millennia. Also, no shortening please: "Barça" IS NOT the name of the city but only the nickname of the football team (FC Barcelona). So unless you want to piss off a Barcelonian really quick (yeah, even the FCB supporters!), don't mix thoses. For those that are unable to articulate four-syllables words, if you must, the short name for the city is "Barna", but while 50 years ago it might have been acceptable to use it I advise against using it these days as you'll simply come across a stiff pompous gait.

Not trying to lecture anyone here, pronounce as you wish... but since many have asked me on PMs and elsewhere this sometimes, I'm just copying and pasting my response.

PS: syllable in bold -we call them "strong syllables"- is where you should stress the voice. Have fun!

I saw all of the sites listed except Casa Battlo.

I am with Enric on this: as long as you are going to Sagrada Familia, if it fits your schedule, take the time to walk up the tree-lined diagonal street a few short blocks to the SANT PAU CENTRE MODERNISTA. It is worth the visit. Beautiful buildings and grounds with an interesting history. To me, it would be worth a trip back to that neighborhood. It's a jewel.

I bought my ticket for Casa Mila (La Pedrera) at the official site on the day before I visited. Even if you can not open your ticket from your smart phone no worries: you will be directed to the desk and the staff will print your ticket. https://www.lapedrera.com/en

If you can, I suggest you go earlier in the day rather than later, as it may be less crowded. Enjoy!

EDITED to add: If you want to prolong your enjoyment of La Predera, stop at the café of the same name on your right (as you exit the building) and go upstairs to eat/drink/snack and enjoy the wavy ceiling and added ambience.

Also, do not miss the temporary exhibition space on the upper floor. That space is an original apartment with wavy ceilings and structural columns that hold the weight of the building. You can see this best in the exhibition space.

Another thing, and sorry for hijacking the thread:

WEATHER
We are having yet another abnormal summer and temperatures at the beginning of June are already reaching 30-something (90s F) in the city of Barcelona, something that doesn't normally happen until the end of July (f##ck those climate change negationists!). Thankfully, these past two weeks humidity has been relatively low (40-60%) so those temperatures were "just bearable". But as a Mediterranean city, this won't hold that low for long and when these high temperatures mix with high humidity, say 80-90% -something relatively normal in summer- the feeling of heat and suffocation will increase greatly. So much so that it's expected this year to have several "tropical nights" -nights in which the minimum (!) temperature is above 20ºC (68F)- throughout the summer. Tropical nights do really suck because if you're out and about, the feeling of stickiness is constant when you're in the street. At home (hotels, etc) air conditioning is really must. We used to have a dozen of those every summer... we'll see how this year goes, but it doesn't look too good.

Over and out.

Barcelona Sights In 3 Days

Day 1
•Sagrada Familia
•Park Guell or Hospital Sant Pau
•Passeig de Gracia - Casa Mila or Casa Batllo

Day 2
•Palau de la Musica Catalana
•Ramblas - La Boqueria & Placa Real
•Bari Gotico - Cathedral

Day 3
•Montjuic - MNAC or Miro Museum
•El Born - Picasso Museum & Basilica Santa Maria del Mar
•Parc de la Ciutadella
•Barceloneta

It may not be workable with your schedule, but consider doing Casa Batllo and/or Casa Mila on different days than the day you are already doing Parc Guell and the Sagrada Familia. While all four are really enjoyable and different in my opinion, you might get Gaudi overload doing them all in one long day! Otherwise, I think I'd pick one between Casa Batllo and Casa Mila. Casa Batllo's incredibly creative, clever, and thoughtful architecture really spoke to me (not that that was lacking in any of these others; that one just seemed particularly whimsical to me), while I loved seeing the interior of Casa Mila set up as it would have been when it was built. It was fun imagining life in Modernista Barcelona. So maybe choose whichever of those sounds more appealing. Have fun!